Jealously
by lip-service
Summary: Tawny has feelings for Luis and she wants him to notice her. R&R (My 1st G-rated story)[complete]
1. Debate

"And that is why the students of any public school system, in a newspaper of their own, should be allowed to write anything they please. Thank you." Tawny smiled as she tidied her papers on the podium and looked over at her best friend standing beside her. "Anything you'd like to add, Luis?"   
  
Luis gave her a look of disbelief. "If anyone was dumb enough to let students say whatever they pleased, then that person should be responsible for their actions. That would let loose utter chaos. There would be slander and liable and Lord knows what else going on."   
  
"Are you saying that students aren't protected under the constitution?" Tawny asked, egging him on.   
  
"Of course I didn't say that. Where did you come up with that one?" he asked, incredulity evident in his heightened voice.   
  
Tawny gave a little smirk and at that time Luis knew that once again, he had been had by Tawny's ability to argue. "Then students should be able to practice free speech as well as free press. Isn't that right, Luis?"   
  
Before Luis could articulate a reply, the bell rang signaling the end of debate class.   
  
"Good job, guys, very well done. You were both well prepared and you argued like pros." Mrs. Wheeler said smiling at them as the rest of the class shuffled past her and out in to the crowded corridor. "Luis, I think your problem is that you get flustered too easily and fall into the traps Tawny set for you. You need to keep your emotions under your hat while you're arguing something so you can focus on what you are saying. And Tawny, good job kid, and quit baiting Luis up there. He's going to get you on a technicality one of these days. Now get out of here," she said grinning. "See you two later."   
  
Luis walked out the door, with Tawny following close behind. "Oh come on!" She said. "You can't be mad at me! You did a really good job up there, buddy." He kept walking. "Tell you what, I'll give you some pointers next time and you'll be fine." He slowed when Tawny jumped ahead of him, putting her hands on his firm chest. "Woah.! Have you been working out big boy?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows comically. He smirked and she knew that was the sign of forgiveness from him. "Besides, it's not like you need tips, you suck so bad there is no hope for you." At this he grabbed her shoulders and put her into a headlock.   
  
"Say you're sorry, freak!" He said giving her a devilish look.   
  
"I shall never surrender! I shall never give up my ship! I shall never." her impromptu speech was cut off by as series of high-pitched giggles as he began ticking her across the ribs. "I give. I give," she gasped as she collapsed against him, almost snuggling into his strong body.   
  
He helped her stand on her own two feet again and she ran fingers through her disheveled hair. "Crap," she said holding her side. "That hurts, dork."   
  
He gave her a huge grin. "Pansy," he taunted.   
  
She started to say something derogatory back to him, but at that moment his jaw dropped and his eyes widened. She turned to see a small brunette she had never seen before standing beside the Principal's office.   
  
"Who is that?" he whispered, almost in awe.   
  
Tawny looked again. "How should I know? Knowing our luck, probably another cheerleader. There's something we need in this school system, more cheerleaders. Right, Luis?"   
  
No answer.   
  
"Hello! Earth to Luis! Hey!" Tawny tried again, grabbing hold of his face and forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Repeat after me, buddy. Cheerleaders are bad. Come on you can do it. Cheerleaders are."   
  
He jerked his face from her grasp and stared at the stranger once again. "If that one's a cheerleader, I take back anything bad I've ever said about them. I'm going to go over and introduce myself. You coming?" he asked, almost as an afterthought.   
  
"No thanks, I'm good. Too much exposure to fakeness is bad for my complexion," she replied, wrinkling her nose.   
  
And with a laugh and a wave, he was gone. Tawny sighed, watching him work his way through the throng of students that littered the hallway to get to the petite girl. 'If only he would look at me like that,' she thought, remembering the way his eyes glowed at the sight of the other teenager. 

She glanced down at her watch and started, not knowing it was that late. She pushed aside the thoughts of Luis and rushed down the hallway to get dressed for weight lifting.


	2. Stephanie

Tawny pushed through the doors of the weight room with a towel wrapped around her neck and a cold bottle of water in her hand, sheen of sweat glistening on her alabaster skin. She sat down just outside the door and began stretching out from her work out when the brunette from the hallway earlier sat down beside her.   
  
"Hi! My name is Stephanie Jo Hatcher. Are you Amy?" the dark haired girl asked, in a perky, upbeat voice.   
  
Tawny just looked at her. Amy Jordan was the captain of the cheerleading squad and one of the biggest snobs at Roosevelt High School. To even be associated with Amy was one of the biggest insults Tawny could think of. But, she had been right in the assumption that Little Miss Perky was a cheerleader. She could spot them a mile away.   
  
"No," Tawny said simply, then went back to stretching.   
  
Stephanie turned up her small pert nose, "I didn't think so. You don't have the build for a cheerleader."   
  
Tawny gave a reply that was perilously close to a snort. "Thank God."   
  
Just then Luis came around the corner, looking devastating in a muscle shirt and a pair of gym shorts. Tawny bit her lip and looked her fill until he came to a stop in front of her.   
  
"Hey, Luis, where were you at? I waited for a while and then just did my workout without you," she said, looking up at him.   
  
"Oh, sorry Tawny. I told Stephanie here that I'd show her around the weight room today. You don't mind do you?" he asked, giving Stephanie a hand up off the floor.   
  
Tawny gave a smile that looked more like a snarl. "Of course I don't mind. I'm sure she couldn't find the machines without your help."   
  
If looks could kill, Tawny would be on the floor mortally wounded after the look Stephanie gave her. Luis just looked at her with confusion written on his normally smiling face.   
  
Tawny relented. "Yeah, it's fine. Nothing you can do about it now. You two kids have fun." She turned to Luis. "Call me later?"   
  
He gave her that lady-killer smile and nodded, ushering Stephanie into the weight room. Tawny smiled back, just at him, until they vanished from sight, then she threw her towel as hard as she could against the wall.   
  
'It's not fair,' she thought to herself. They had been best friends since the first day they met in junior high. But lately, she had been feeling a little bit more than friendship towards him. Truthfully she thought she was in love with him. She certainly loved everything about him: the way his hair felt beneath her fingers when she playfully ruffled it, his dark eyes that you could almost drown in, the way he said her name when he thought she was funny, his amazing smile that made her heart do a little flip flop when he flashed it at her. Oh yeah, she had it bad. But she was too afraid to tell him how she felt. Too afraid he wouldn't like her in that way and it would mess up their entire friendship. She couldn't risk that; he was her best friend. She sat there, a frown creasing her brow, lost in deep thought. But, she thought, if I could get him to find out what he is missing. If only I could get him to like me like I like him. Her lips curved into a calculating smirk.   
  
"And that's exactly what I'm going to do," she said aloud, her determined voice bouncing off of the empty walls of the corridor.   
  



	3. How to Catch Your Man

Tawny clutched her purchase to her breast as she ran past her mother, giving her a quick hug and a kiss hello, and hurried down the stairs to her basement room. When she was safely on her bed, she ripped the bag open and grabbed the book inside.   
  
"How to Catch Your Man," she read aloud. Well it was certainly the title she wanted. Now about the contents. She opened the book and peered at it eagerly. "Step One: Let him know that you are quite a catch and on the market for a boyfriend. Hmm." she mumbled to herself. "I can do that.

Step Two: Make attempts to look good for him and let him know that you think he looks good as well. Okey Dokey, two at a time sounds good. I think I'll start these tonight," she said grinning at her good luck monkey he had bought for her as a Christmas present the year before. "Wish me luck, Eros! I'm off to catch my man!"


	4. The New Tawny

Two hours later, Tawny, in full war paint, including foundation, blush, eye shadow, and a mocha colored lipstick, plus a new outfit, knocked on the door of her best friend's house. A small woman with red hair and a huge smile answered the door.   
  
"Hey Mrs Stevens. Luis home?" Tawny asked as she stepped through the threshold of their home.   
  
"He sure is, he's up in his room. My, you look all dressed up today. I like your shoes."   
  
"Thanks," Tawny said, shifting back and forth on the three-inch heels of the boots. "They're new."   
  
"They look nice on you, hun. Just go on back. Last time I looked in on him he was playing on his computer."   
  
"Thanks," she said again, as she walked up the stairs to Luis's room. Tawny loved Luis's room. It was his inner sanctum, showing pieces of him that it took years for her to get out of him. She stopped outside the doorway to his room and took a deep breath, trying to remember what the book had said. She held her head high and preceded into his private place in what she hoped was a confident, sexy glide.   
  
He glanced up from his computer when she entered, giving a double take when he saw her.   
  
"Tawny?" he asked, almost as if he didn't know who she was.   
  
She plopped down on his unmade bed, leaning back, trying for an insolent pose. "Yes, Luis?"   
  
"What the heck are you wearing? And what have you got all over your face?" he demanded.   
  
Ok, so not the reaction she was hoping for.   
  
"My clothes are new, and as for my face, its make-up. You should know all about that, since your little buddy Stephanie wears mounds of it."   
  
"Oh, so I get it. You're trying to make a point. Tawny, it's not funny. Stephanie happens to be a very nice girl and besides, she makes the make-up look good."   
  
Tawny's hackles rose. "And I don't? Is that what you are saying?"   
  
"No, not at all, Tawny. It's just that, some people weren't meant to wear make-up. You don't need it."   
  


"Fine," Tawny said, "So you think. We'll see, won't we?" she finished, slamming out the door.   
  
She tried running home, but the big stylish boots and tight designer blue jeans kept her to a slow walk. That didn't go at all the way she had planned. What was he thinking? He was supposed to fall all over her and finally see her as a female, a feat she had yet to accomplish. What an idiot. Who she wasn't sure. Why was she even trying? He didn't go for girls like her. Heck, he probably didn't know she was a girl. She was just one of the guys. Maybe she should strip naked for him to show him she was lacking certain male anatomy. That brought a grin to her face. She could just see his jaw drop. And then he would come over and put his hand on her face and kiss her gently, softly caressing her.   
  
"Hey, Tawny! Wait up!" his deep voice brought her sharply out of her reverie.   
  
To her humiliation, she felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks and she vaguely wondered how long she had been crying. She knew she couldn't let him see her like this so she started to run. Not a good idea with around 5 pounds extra weight weighing down each of your feet. She felt like a bird. Not a graceful bird like a swan or an eagle, but more like a penguin on land, waddling away as fast as her long, gangly legs could take her. She looked over her shoulder to see he was gaining on her fast. She was almost home so she pushed as hard as she could to make it the last few yards. She would have made it, if the sidewalk in front of Mrs.Tait's house hadn't been uneven and if she had been watching where her pounding feet were going. One of her heels caught on the edge of the rutted sidewalk, and for a moment, she was a bird, flying through the air, but the feeling ended much too soon as she landed with a bone-jarring thud on the hard ground.   
  
Luis ran up to the place where she lay, quickly kneeling down beside her. "Are you ok? What the heck were you thinking? Trying to run in those clodhoppers?"   
  
She shifted on the ungiving ground and let out a painful moan.   
  
"Don't move." He said, "I'll run and get your mom and we can take you to the hospital."   
  
"Don't you dare." She replied. "I'm fine, ok? I just knocked the breath out of me."   
  
"Is that why you are crying?" he asked quietly.   
  
"Allergies, that's all. Now help me up, you big good for nothing."   
  
He smiled at her. "That's more like it." He reached down and grabbed her hand, jerking her to her feet.   
  
As soon as Tawny's left leg touched the ground, pain exploded in her knee. She sucked in a sharp breath and would've fallen if Luis had not have caught her.   
  
"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, almost yelling his concern at her.   
  
"Nothing. I just twisted my knee a little bit. I'm fine. You can go home now," she said petulantly. She was humiliated, caught crying, and now it felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to her knee. She just wanted to be alone to bask in her own pity.   
  
Luis looked annoyed. "Fine. I'll go home. First I want to see you walk to your house and up the stairs. Just so I know you get in safely."   
  
Tawny swallowed hard as she looked at the distance between her and her door. Normally it was just a hop, skip, and a jump away, but today, it looked like the Mojave Desert.   
  
"You want me to go to my house?" she asked slowly.   
  
He nodded. He had that annoying smirk that he always had when he knew she was holding out on him.   
  
Tawny squared her shoulders and turned towards her house, that slight movement causing extreme pain to shoot through her knee and up her leg. She looked back at him and sure enough he was standing there, watching her with his arms crossed and that darn smirk on his face. That smirk only fuelled Tawny's determination to get to her house unattended.   
  
She held her breath and took a step, almost collapsing due to the pain slicing up her leg. Luis started to move to help, but her sideways glare told him to hold his place. She took another step, biting down on her lip to keep from crying out. Another step, her lip started to bleed. One more step, tears began streaming from her eyes. Before she could take another step, she was swept up into strong arms and carried the rest of the way to her house.   
  
"Little idiot. You would kill yourself to prove a point," he said, frowning.   
  
But at the moment, Tawny didn't care what he called her. She just burrowed her face into his soft shirt and inhaled his scent, enjoying the ride.   
  


*Please let me know what you think of this story. It is my first non-sexual story.


	5. And So It Begins

A few hours later, Tawny was lying on the couch, knee propped up, flipping through the channels with Luis by her side. She stared at his profile as he watched the glowing screen, thinking of how much she wanted him to hold her.   
  
Luis looked from the screen to her, catching her in the act. "What are you looking at?" he asked softly.   
  
Tawny smiled, returning the standard reply. "I don't know. I haven't figured it out yet."   
  
He laughed and then tried to look menacing. "You're lucky you're laid up, kid. Or I'd kick your butt for that one."   
  
"Nope, you're lucky I'm laid up or I'd kick you're butt just for looking the way you do," she said, grinning.   
  
He started to reply, but was interrupted by the loud ring of the phone. Tawny snatched it up on the second ring and answered it. "Hello?"   
  
"Hi, hun. You feeling better?" It was Luis's mom.   
  
"Yeah, I'm feeling much better. The drugs the doctor gave me work miracles." Tawny said smiling.   
  
"That's nice, dear." she said, ignoring her last comment. "Could you tell Luis that a Stephanie is here to see him? She's a sweet girl. Have you met her?"   
  
"Yeah," Tawny said, drolly. "I've had the pleasure. All right, I'll tell him. I'll talk to you later. Mm-hmm.. Goodbye. "   
  
Luis grabbed a handful of chips out of the open bag on the table beside him stuffing them into his mouth. "Who was that?" he asked, mouth full.   
  
Tawny rolled her eyes. "You really do have the most revolting table manners."   
  
Luis opened his mouth, displaying its full content. "I'm not at the table," he said, grinning. "What were you suppose to tell me?"   
  
Tawny toyed with the idea of not telling him at all, but in the end her morals won out. "That was your mom. Apparently the new chick is at your house," she said with a bored voice.   
  
"Stephanie? At my house?" he jumped up, knocking Tawny's knee off of its pillow. "Oh crap! I'm sorry!" he said quickly. "You ok?" At her pained nod, he continued. "I gotta go. Do I look ok?"   
  
Her eyes skimmed over his beloved features. "You look great," she said honestly.   
  
His eyes softened. "You looked good today too. It just shocked me. You didn't look like you. And it was scary." He grinned. "Not that you were scary. But you know what I mean. I gotta bail. Wish me luck!" he yelled as he ran out the door.   
  
Tawny snorted. Wish him luck. With another girl. That will be the day, she thought. She sighed and snuggled down into the couch, flipping the channel to an old love movie starring Cary Grant and Aubrey Hepburn and proceeded to learn from the masters.   
  



	6. Let's Make A Deal

Tawny looked at the algebra test in front of her and gave a big mental sigh. She hated math. Luis and her always studied together. But this week he hadn't had time because he had been out with Stephanie, to ball games to watch her cheer, to the mall so she could get some new shoes for that weekend, to the movies with her. It seemed never ending. He never had time to hang out with her anymore, his supposed best friend. Tawny grabbed her book and stalked out of class. And now this. She glanced down at the big red C minus on her paper again. "Crap!" she said out loud, shoving the paper inside her book and throwing them into her locker.   
  
She looked down the hallway just in time to see Luis and Stephanie stealing a kiss before the bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Her heart clenched in her chest. Why not me? She thought pitifully. She had to have him. He was her soul mate she was sure of it. But how she could get him was a mystery to her. Then, like a ray of sunshine sent from heaven above, a light illuminated a piece of paper on the bulletin board. She stepped closer and read, a big grin crossing her face:   
  
CAMPING TRIP   
AGES 15-18   
SHAREWOOD FACILITES   
Good food, Great fun, and Enough Memories to Last A Lifetime.   
Contact Angie Mays, Director   
  
"That's it!" she yelled, causing several students in the hallway to stare. But Tawny didn't care. This was the answer to all of her prayers. She grabbed the paper off the board and ran down the corridor to her next class.  
  
She burst through the door and rushed over to Luis's desk that was right by hers and smacked the paper in front of him.   
  
He slowly looked up at her and gave a slight smile. "May I help you?" he asked.   
  
"This is it, Luis. Look at it. It will be so much fun! It can be like a senior thing, you know? One last trip to say goodbye." she told him, her eyes sparkling with delight.   
  
"But Tawny, we're going to the same college, hun. It's not like we're saying goodbye."   
  
Tawny gave a small smile; her eyes filling with unshed tears. "More so than you think, Luis, more so than you think."   
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked, concern marring his features.   
  
"Just say you'll go, ok? Please, Luis, for me?" she begged.   
  
"Yeah, ok, I'll go, if it means that much to you," he said, shrugging.   
  
A brilliant smile spread across her features. "Thank you, Luis!" she said, hugging him. "You're the absolute best!"   
  
She started to pull away from the hug, but something stopped her. Something caused her to hesitate, gazing deeply into his dark brown eyes. They were close enough to kiss and at that moment, everything else disappeared for Tawny. She and Luis were the only two in the room, held close by a magnetism that she always knew was there, always hoped was there.

She slowly leaned closer, wanting to kiss his lips. Closer...   
  
"What are you doing?" a high pitched voice squealed behind them.   
  
Tawny shook her head, trying to break the spell that she had just been captured in. She looked at Luis, to see if he had the same effects she did, only to find him staring at her in a most peculiar way.   
  
"What were you doing, Tawny?" he whispered.   
  
Tawny bit her lip. "I don't know," she returned.   
  
"I will ask once again, what the heck is going on here, Luis?" Stephanie Jo Hatcher demanded as she squared off in front of them.   
  
"Nothing, Stephanie, Tawny was just showing me this camp we're going to this weekend. Just a weekend, nothing big."   
  
Tawny's heart sank. Nothing big. Just Tawny, nothing big at all.   
  
"What about me? What am I going to do for a weekend all by myself?" she squeaked, obviously annoyed.   
  
Tawny held her breath, waiting his answer.   
  
"Now Stephanie, you know you are welcome to come along if you like, but you don't really like the outdoors at all and that's what this camp is all about."   
  
Tawny walked away. She couldn't stand to be near either of them after that. She sat like a robot through the rest of class and then walked home alone, as she had for the past few weeks. She skulked through the house and down to her room, deep in thought. She lay down on her bed and buried her head in her pillow, trying to relax the tension from her body.   
  
"Bad day?" Luis said from the doorway.   
  
She didn't even move. She knew that he would come eventually. "Don't you ever knock?" she asked into the pillow.   
  
"Not usually," he said. She heard footsteps coming towards her, muffled by the sound of carpet. The bed sank with his weight. "Wanna tell me what's wrong, babe?"   
  
She gritted her teeth and turned toward him. "Don't call me that."   
  
He looked surprised. "Why not? I've always called you babe."   
  
"That was before her. Everything has changed so much. I could make a time line. BH and AH. Before Her and After Her. Before Her, life was great. Every day was a good day and all the birds sang in the trees, happy to be alive. The sun loved to shine and you actually hung out with me, talking to me and being with me. After Her, the birds died of too much perfume inhalation, the sun was blocked by her big head and you don't even seem to know me anymore. It hurts, Luis."   
  
Luis shook his head. "Now I know that I have been hanging out with her a lot, but I can't believe you said I don't know you. I've known you since junior high. You're my best friend."   
  
Tawny gave him a small, sad smile. "You used to know me. You used to know everything about me. I brought everything to you and we worked things out together. It's not that way anymore." When he shook his head in denial, she continued. "What did I get on my last math test, Luis? Any idea? Do you even care?"   
  
"I don't know what you got, but I'm sure it was good. You've been doing a lot better. And of course I care. You're my buddy, Tawny. I care about you."   
  
The knife shifted in Tawny's heart at that last statement. If he knew how much she wanted him to say that and mean it in a different way. "I got a C minus. I didn't have anyone to explain the problems to me. I didn't understand any of the word problems and the linear equations just threw me off big time."   
  
His face fell. "Tawny, I'm so sorry. I should've taken time. I should've…" he paused, running his hand through his hair. "I messed up big time. I'm sorry. Its just Stephanie demands so much attention. It's not that I mind giving it to her, it's just that I don't have time for anything else. But, you'll have my full attention this weekend. It'll be just you and me at this camp of yours. Stephanie can't go because she has a cheerleading thing. I'll make up for it there. Deal?"   
  
Tawny's eyes widened. "Really? Just you and me? Like the old times?" She grinned when he nodded his head.   
  
She stuck out her hand and he shook it, and the deal was sealed.


	7. The Camping Trip

It was finally Friday evening. Tawny threw her duffel bag into the back of her dark green jeep and smiled. A whole weekend of the outdoors, rocks climbing, hiking, and them, Luis and her.

Her knee was nearly back to normal so she should be able to do everything she wanted to this trip, without worrying. She heard a noise coming from the direction of Luis's house and turned to see him carrying three or four bags. She started to yell and make fun of him for packing so much stuff, but then she saw the second figure trudging along beside him with a small backpack. It was Stephanie, and from the looks on their faces, she hadn't just come to send them off.   
  
Luis came first with an extremely apologetic look on his face. "Tawny, I'm sorry, I thought..."   
  
He was cut off by Stephanie's shrill drawl. "He thought I wasn't coming, but I surprised him, by dropping my cheerleading clinic this weekend."   
  
Tawny gave a pseudo-sweet smile. "Well, we'd love you to come along, but I'm afraid we've already paid and sent in our registration forms, so you can't get in."   
  
Stephanie showed her perfect, white teeth in a snarl. "Don't you worry your little head about that, dear. I called and talked to the director. Seems my daddy makes a contribution to their little camp and she was happy to have me."   
  
Tawny grit her teeth and climbed in the jeep. "Well, by all means then. Let's go. Registration is at 6."   
  
Tawny climbed into the driver's seat and buckled her seatbelt with undo force. Luis started to climb into the front next to her when Stephanie gasped.   
  
"You don't want me riding in the back with the luggage do you, sweetheart?" she whined to Luis.   
  
He sighed. "Of course not sweetie." Then proceeded to let her into the front seat and climbed into the back.   
  
Tawny backed into the street and started down the road towards the camp.   
  
"Can't you put the top up on this thing? It's messing up my hair." Stephanie said beside her.   
  
Tawny bared her teeth. "Nope."   
  
"Well that is so rude. Luis, don't you..." The rest of what Stephanie was saying was drown out by the radio as Tawny turned it up as loud as it would go.   
  
Stephanie then proceeded to turn it off, causing Tawny to grab her hand and squeeze it hard.   
  
"Listen, cheer girl. You ever touch my radio again and I'm going to rip off every one of your little spirit fingers and feed them to rabid dogs. Catch my drift?" Tawny told her, progressively squeezing her hand harder.   
  
"Yes, I get it," she squeaked. "God, you are insane."   
  
Tawny gave her first real smile since that afternoon. "That's what people say." Following this, she turned the radio back on and Stephanie kept her hands back away.   
  
It was around 5:30 when they pulled into the back road that led to the encampment. Tawny drove down the winding path, watching trees go by and singing at the top of her lungs, with Luis, to the Monkees' hit "I'm A Believer," while Stephanie pouted in the front seat, buffing her nails.   
  
They parked and went through registration pretty quickly. It was almost getting dark, so it was time to pitch the tents. Tawny grabbed her stuff out of the jeep and turned to Luis.   
  
"So, what do you think, Luis? Where do you want to set up camp?"   
  
"How about over there in that clearing? That way we can see the stars at night," he asked pointing to a spot near the small brook that ran on the outside of the camp.   
  
Tawny's eyes lit up and she smiled lovingly at him. "That's perfect. Last one to set up their tent sucks!" she called, laughingly as she started out quickly in that direction. As she walked away, she heard Stephanie yelp "We're sleeping in tents" and she thought as she smiled maliciously, that this might not be a bad weekend after all.   
  
By the time Luis got his and Stephanie's tents up, Tawny had already began making hot dogs over an open fire for dinner. She gave an absent smile as she heard Stephanie slap another bug off of her exposed skin.   
  
"Are you sure you don't want some of my bug spray?" Tawny asked again.   
  
"Are you kidding? I believe I told you numerous times that bug spray is bad for your skin and makes you smell too," Stephanie told her, sticking her little nose up in the air. "Oh my God. What are you cooking?"   
  
Tawny looked at her, a bit surprised. "They're hot dogs. What do they look like?"   
  
Stephanie gave her an annoyed look. "I know they are hot dogs, you... you freak. The point is, I do not eat hot dogs, nor any other meat." 

Tawny let out a belly laugh. "You're a vegetarian?" she asked incredulously.   
  
"As a matter of fact I am. I can't see how you can eat something that you know has been alive, and has had a soul," she said, looking at Tawny as though she was the devil's advocate.   
  
"Well, you, little cheerleader, are tough out of luck, because this is all that I packed to eat. Hot dogs tonight, eggs tomorrow morning with bacon, cold cuts tomorrow evening, and depending on the fishing, maybe some trout the next day. Oh, and smores of course. You're welcome to them." Tawny told her, idly flipping over the hot dogs.   
  
"I know what you are up to, Tawny." Stephanie said, getting down in front of her, face to face.   
  
"Do you now?" Tawny returned, amused. "And just what am I up too, Stephy?"   
  
Stephanie almost shuddered at the hated nickname. "You don't like me, but I don't care because I'm not really fond of you anyway. One thing I know for sure, though," she said, getting almost close enough to touch, noses to nose. "You're not going to get him. And don't shake your head like you don't know what I'm talking about," she cut in when Tawny started to protest. "I have eyes, even though he apparently doesn't. I see the way you look at him when he's not watching and I see the way you touch him much too often for just close friends. All I can say is stay away, Amazon. He's mine, and by the time I get done with him, you will no longer be in the picture. Get it?"   
  
"Oh I hear what you are saying, little girl, but it's all talk and no action. He is my best friend, and has been for as long as I can remember. You think you, some tiny cheerleader, can tear apart years of friendship? I hate to break it to you, hun, but he would pick me over you any day of the week," Tawny told her, pushing Stephanie back out of her face.   
  
"Are you sure about that?" Stephanie drawled, standing and walking away from the fire, towards Luis, who was coming from the woods with sticks for the fire.   
  
Tawny stared into the fire, watching the flames lick the pot she had resting over it. Was she sure? Before Stephanie, there would be no doubt in her mind, but now, now it was all different. She looked out to the woods, seeing Stephanie drag Luis down for a kiss. No. She didn't have a chance against that. Stephanie had everything he wanted, and after this weekend she would have no competition. Tawny pulled her book, "How to Catch Your Man," out of her bag and stared at it. There's no point holding on to that, she thought to herself and then tossed it into the fire, feeling her heart tear at each page being eaten by the fire.


	8. And So It Ends

The next morning, Tawny went down to the creek to get some water to boil for some good strong coffee. When she got back neither of the other campers in her group were up. She waited a while, and when she couldn't stand it any more, she walked over to Luis's tent and opened the flap.   
  
"Good morning, sunshine…" The sight that greeted her, made bile rise up in her throat. There Luis was, the top naked half of him sticking out of the sleeping bag, and there snuggled up beside him was Stephanie, her bare arm laying over his body. Luis blinked awake and smiled at Tawny.   
  
"Hey, darlin," he said.   
  
"You stupid, ignorant, unworthy jerk! How could you? How could you do this to me? I thought you were my best friend. Oh God," Tawny screamed, tapering off to a pitiful whimper at the end. She took off running into the woods, not noticing where she was going. Branches slapped against her face, leaving bloody scratches, but such physical pain didn't even touch what she felt inside. She tripped over an upraised root, tumbling hard to the ground. She lay there, rocking back and forth, holding herself, sobs racking her frame. The picture of them together played over and over in her mind, causing her to get physically sick. She leaned over an over turned log and emptied her stomach on the forest floor. She lay there, trying to calm herself down, trying to think rationally. She looked around her. All she could see were trees and she had no idea where she was.

She got up slowly, and began limping painfully in the opposite direction from where she thought she had come. She had to get away for a while. She couldn't face him and she definitely couldn't face her. Tawny thought back to Stephanie's face when she woke up. She had never seen a more victorious smile. Tawny leaned up against a tree, resting her knee for a while. She must have aggravated her injury when she fell. She pulled her water canteen out of its place on her belt and took a drink, rinsing out her mouth and wetting her throat. She started walking again. Not knowing where she was going, not caring at the moment. She just had to get away.   
  
"Tawny!"   
  
It was Luis's voice. How had he found her? And why couldn't he just leave her alone? He had made his choice that was the only thing that was clear in Tawny's head on this cloudy, summer's day.   
  
"Tawny! Please answer me!" he pleaded.   
  
Tawny kept limping. She had no feelings at the moment, so she couldn't feel bad about making him worry about her. She stepped on an old fallen branch that fell with her as she put her weight on it. She slid with the dead wood, down a hill and came to a rest beside a creek.   
  
"Well, at least I didn't get in the creek," she mumbled to herself. She tried to get up, but her injured knee was trapped under a branch. "This is so not my day," she moaned pitifully.   
  
"Tawny? Are you ok?" Luis asked sliding down the hill she had just fallen over.   
  
Tawny gave a choked sob. "I've never been better. My knee hurts, I fell over a tree root, I fell down a hill, and my best friend, whom I've loved for the past three or four

 years, just slept with another woman. A cheerleader at that. But other than that, I am so happy."   
  
Luis looked at her, amazed. "You love me?"   
  
"Oh that's great. Please feel free to rub it in. Look, I'm a realist. I know you don't love me and I know you love her. The bad part is, this is where we have to say goodbye. I can't be your friend anymore, Luis. I'll just get in the way and I don't want to do that to you. I love you too much for that. But you know what the sad part is? We're perfect for one another. Crazy, huh? Life can suck sometimes. Now is one of those times," she said, wiping her streaming tears off her cheeks with her sleeve.   
  
"Who said I didn't love you?" he asked, squatting down next to her.   
  
"Jeez! How could I forget? It's a custom to sleep with other people when you love a girl right?" Tawny spat, bitterly.   
  
"You jump to conclusions too much, love." he said, stroking her hair back out of her face.   
  
"Please don't touch me right now. What are you talking about?" she said, jerking away from him.   
  
"I'm sorry," he said, absently rubbing his hands together. "What happened this morning, was not what it looked like," he started. He ignored her disbelieving snort and continued. "When I woke up this morning, I was as confused as you were. I had Stephanie sprawled out on top of me and you screaming at me that I was an idiot. That's a lot to take in when you just wake up. After you ran I confronted Stephanie. It seems she wanted to get rid of you, so she came to my tent and got into bed with me. You know how I sleep, Tawny. Nothing wakes me up."   
  
Tawny swallowed as she felt the seed of hope start to grow in her heart. "And she just told you all of this?"   
  
"After a few token protests, yes. She hates the relationship we have, and like you said, we're so perfect for each other you were a constant threat. So she told me, it was either her or you."   
  
She bit her lip and ran her eyes over his beautiful features. "And?" she asked, haltingly.   
  
Luis smiled the most stunning smile she had ever seen. "And I'm here aren't I?"   
  
Tawny burst into tears and he threw his arms around her and held her, letting her soak his shirt with her tears.   
  
"Hey now, darlin. Why are you crying now?" he asked, holding her against him.   
  
She leaned back and smiled at him through the tears streaming down her face. "Because my leg is trapped under the branch you're leaning on, dummy."   
  
He laughed and then moved the branch off of her leg. He helped her up and held her against his strong chest. And it was then and there that Tawny and Luis, friends since junior high, shared their first kiss as realized soul mates.


End file.
